Alex gives his verdict on Wait For Me, No Hard Feelings and Greatest Days - three films he's seen this week.
Wait For Me, a gritty kitchen sink drama,, made its debut at Manchester Film Festival, and director Keith Farrell scooped the Best Director prize at the Festival too!
Whilst the story is bleak at times, it's beautifully filmed, with wide shots on the bleakly beautiful sands of Cleethorpes Beach, and tower blocks rising out of scenic countryside scenery in Calderdale. Karen Hassan is superb as an Irish woman on the run from a life of sex work, and seeking to reunite with her daughter.
Keith spoke to me recently on Tameside Radio about the lack of funding for film in the North West, and is a passionate lover of small, independent cinemas We don't have many of them around here sadly, but there are ambitious plans to bring back the Metro in Ashton, which would be fantastic.
A couple of easy watching films completed my film week, with No Hard Feelings and Greatest Days both sneaking into cinemas before the arrival of Indiana Jones.
No Hard Feelings is a risque comedy, starring the ace Jennifer Lawrence as a skint Uber driver who answers a newspaper ad from parents desperate for their socially awkward son to be educated in the ways of the world.
It was inspired by a real life ad, and the movie follows Maddie's attempts to seduce Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) away from his games console.
The humour is bawdy, and whilst not every scene works perfectly, I thought Lawrence handled the script deftly. There were plenty of genuine laughs, it was enjoyably potty-mouthed, and there haven't been that many good comedies in recent years, so this is a welcome addition. It's fairly forgettable, but you'll have a great time watching it.
There are also some sweet moments, as both main characters find a genuine connection in odd circumstances. Look out for the rescue dog and a hilarious skinny dipping scene.
Greatest Days, as you might predict, is heavy on the Take That tunes. From the writer of Calendar Girls, it's as British as fish n' chips, and complaining about the weather.
Aisling Bea is likeable as Rachel, who wins a competition whilst listening to Clitheroe's local radio station to see "The Boys" live in Athens.
She manages to swear a couple of times whilst on air, but they still give her the prize, and she sets about reuniting her long lost group of friends, a quarter of a century after they went their separate ways.
I won't spoil it, but the sad plot twist can be seen a mile off. Call me sentimental, but it still elicited a tear or two. The music of Take That works really well for the story, with a song for every scene.
If you hated Mamma Mia, avoid this like the plague. Otherwise, it's a guilty pleasure, which even has a cameo from actual Take That as buskers!
It also made me realise how long Take That's songs have been a part of all of our lives, whether you're a fan or not. Next week, Indiana and the Flash!
You can listen to Alex every weekday from 6am to 11am on Tameside Radio 103.6FM.
